Champ
by 956kitty
Summary: What if Lady and Tramp had just one more pup and she looked like her brother and her father? Champ has difficulties going through her life, being torn between going with her brother to help him or to stay with her family and be there for them. What will she choose? Will it be the right choice? Will she be alone on this journey or will she have someone to be there for her?
1. The Pup

My name is Champ. I know, weird name, sounds like a boy's name but I'm a girl and it fits. My dad's name is Tramp and my brother's name is Scamp. We all look alike so our parents thought our names should sound alike. My mom is Lady and I have three sisters; Annette, Collette, and Danielle. Those four all look like purebred Cocker Spaniels while dad, Scamp, and I look like mutts. I was the runt of the litter. My collar is a purple while Scamp's is dark green and dad's is red. Our family was walking down the neighborhood with our owners; Jim Dear, Darling, and Junior. Junior is just a baby but he loves playing with Scamp and me the most. I'll admit I'm a daddy's girl and I love to do different and new things, even if it gets me in trouble. We passed our uncle's Jock and Trusty on our way to the house and we finally walked into our yard and into the house. Jim Dear got a bath tub ready for the girls while I was in the living room, playing with a ball of yarn. Mom was on a chair and dad was resting on the floor, on a pillow. All of a sudden, Scamp pushes me out of the way and jumps on the yarn, making it roll away and dad catching it, giving us that warning look but with a smile. Scamp keeps trying to get to a window but of course, Jim Dear shuts them all. Jim Dear calls out, "All right! Who's ready for a bath?" The girls fight over who gets to go first while Scamp and I groan, "Gah! I hate baths." I turn around when I hear dad's voice call up to us. "Just the same, you two. But when you live in a house, you have to be clean." My brother smirks at me before declaring, "Well then I'm glad I'm a wild dog." Scamp quickly turns to the window and starts whining, wanting to be let out to chase a cat and I jump down, rolling the ball of yarn around the room. I keep playing even though I hear dad's voice. "Scamp, get down from there before you break something." After a minute, I hear his voice call out again but this time, to me, making me run into a wall. "Champ, you're acting like a cat. Chase a real ball instead of a ball of yarn." I turn to glare playfully at him as he lays his head back down on his pillow, sleeping. I see Scamp run over to dad and I follow, both of us jumping on his back. "Hey! You wanna do some dog stuff? Huh, huh?" "Dig up bones?" I tug on his paw. "Rip up flowers?" Scamp sticks his head under the pillow. "Chase cats?!" We both grab the end of the pillow and start pulling on it. Dad looks up, glares at us and demands sternly, "Guys, come on, now! You're gonna make a mess." We both cower slightly but perk right up when dad takes the pillow, running away with it. "Got it!" We laugh and chase him around the room. He stops by the piano and the three of us start fighting for the pillow, rolling around the floor. Somehow the piano cover fell and made a loud banging noise. We all sat up when we heard Jim Dear yell, "Tramp! You better not be making a mess in there!" We both silently chuckle, knowing he never gets in trouble. Dad gets up and smiles at us. "Alright, Whirlwind, Rascal. Time to settle down. Why don't you two go play with Junior?" It made me smile at our nicknames. Dad always called Scamp 'Whirlwind' while he called me 'Rascal'. We see the baby boy sitting in the middle of the hallway, playing with a hat. We both run over to him and play tug-a-war with it. Junior lets go so I grab one side and Scamp grabs the other side, seeing who can win. It ended up ripping, causing me to slide into the wall behind me and Scamp to take his piece of the hat and chew on it some more. "Scamp! Champ! Look what you did to my favorite hat." Jim Dear picks up his hat and sets it on the rack with all the other torn up hats we destroyed. He bends down and picks up Scamp. "Let's see if you can behave long enough for me to give you a bath." I follow them to the kitchen and see my older brother get thrown into the tub. I start laughing at him and was enjoying the show until I heard someone clear their throat behind me. I quickly turn around and find my dad, who had a smug look on his face while looking down at me. "I wouldn't be laughing if I were you, Champ. You're next." I whine a bit after hearing that news. Once he is done, Jim dear dries him off. "It's about time you settle down." I see dad scoff at that, nearly glaring at Scamp. Suddenly Junior throws a ball out the window, wanting Scamp to follow it. I realize it distracted Jim Dear and I make a run for it. I run back into the living room, trying to find a place to hide but see Scamp chasing the ball, covered in mud. He pushes me out of the way, making me growl and chase after him. We both run past the piano, shaking it, causing a picture to fall. Then he jumps into a garbage can, still after the ball and I follow him. The curtains fall on us and we jump out of the garbage can, running over to Junior. The little boy is laughing as we lick his face but everything stops as we hear yelling from our owner. "What a mess! This time you two have gone too far! You leave me no choice." I slowly turn to face dad and I have never seem him so mad. He gives us the coldest glare in the world, making me whine and back up even further. Jim Dear picks up both us and walks outside. I was confused at first but then I saw we were headed for the doghouse, where the chains were. I start panicking, trying to get loose but it was no use. Soon I found myself chained to the doghouse, painfully listening to my brother howl at the moon that was held high in the daylight. I tried covering my ear but I couldn't. I was about to say something when I heard a noise right behind us. We both yelped and turned around to find dad there with two bowls of dog food. Dad gently pushes the bowls our way. "I…thought you two might be hungry." We smell the food but push it away, not liking it. "I'm sorry, guys. Scamp, you're just gonna have to shape up a little, that's all. Champ, you're gonna have to try to be more like your sisters." I turn away, not wanting another lecture of how I'm not like my perfect sisters. Scamp leans against me, letting me know he was here for me. "We always get blamed for everything." "Sometimes it's hard being part of a family. You have to obey certain rules." Scamp stands up and runs past dad, tripping. "But I wanna run wild and free. Like a real dog!" Dad helps him up, untangling him from his chains. "Son, the world out there is filled with traps. Here, you—you have a family that loves you." Scamp was about to say something but I beat him to it. "As long as we do what you say." Scamp sighs, putting his head down. "Pop, I just don't feel like I belong here. Didn't you ever feel this way?" "I was just like you when I was your age." Dad scratches his head, letting his tongue hang out then shaking his head. "You were never like us." I spat. Scamp and I scratch our heads, letting our tongues hang out before shaking our head, not realizing the similarities. "You've been a house dog all your life. How would you know?" "Aw, you'd be surprised." His voice was filled with amusement before turning serious. "Guys, I'm only trying to protect you." Scamp gets up first, upset. "By putting us on a chain?!" I get up, following him. "And trying to make me be like the other's!?" "Those are the rules, son. And Champ, you have to know how to act like a lady sooner or later." It seemed like we were all having our own arguments. Scamp was going on about rules while I was going off about being like my sisters and mom. "All I hear is rules, rules, rules. Don't do this and don't do that! What good are teeth and—and claws if you can never use them!" He starts howling again as I make my statement. "All I ever hear from you is how you want me to be like Annette, Danielle, and Collette. I'm never going to be like them!" "Stop that howling! And you better get your act together young lady or you're gonna be in big trouble!" Scamp stops for a moment, glaring at dad. "I can't help it, Pop. Wild dogs howl at the moon!" "How much more trouble can I get!? I'm already chained outside!" "There will be no wild dogs in this family! And if you don't straighten up, Champ then you can just find yourself a new home!" "Then maybe we don't want to be in this family!" Scamp and I shout together. "Well, like it or not, you are a part of this family. Both of you! And until you start acting like it, you two can get used to sleeping out here every night!" Dad yells, stomping back into the house, leaving us outside. Scamp jumps on top of the dog house, laying up there by himself while I slowly walk inside the dog house. I start whining, wanting to cry. Dad and I have never been in a fight like that before. Sure, we've been in a few arguments but we never yelled. I've never seen him this angry but I was just so tired of listening to everyone saying how I should be more like the girls. Don't they understand that I'm different? I felt someone beside me and when I lift my head up, I see my brother there, looking mad but sorry. I knew he was mad at dad and he felt sorry for me. He understood my pain. Everyone telling him to be like a gentleman and to settle down but he wants to go out in the world and find new things to discover. I thought that this would be our home for life but I guess I was wrong since I heard dad say, "Find yourself a new home…" Did he really mean that? Did that mean they would kick me out and then I really would be on the streets alone? About an hour later, I was laying down still in the dog house; Scamp was laying his head on my back, both of us comforting each other without words. Just being there for each other is enough. All of a sudden, we hear barking in the distance. We both got up and looked over toward the fence. We stick our heads out from some of the holes and we watch the scene. A small gang of dogs come running around the corner and start jumping on the dog catcher's car. A smaller dog came up behind them and she stopped and smiled at Scamp while he was staring at her in awe. I rolled my eyes and kept watching the other dogs. The dogs came over to us and the bigger one started speaking. "Why don't you guys come on out, ok?" We try but I remember our chains. We looked up at them sadly and replied, "We can't." The smallest dog that had a French accent gasped. "The puppies in chains!" We hear a loud bark coming around the corner and the others dogs hid. We see a large dog that looked like the leader, run towards us with the dog catcher following him. "Come back here, you mangy mutt!" They both started running around the car, soon the dog vanished, making the catcher confused. "Hey, where'd ya go?" The leader quickly surprised him and took the catcher's hat. The others dogs came out from their hiding places and they all started playing catch with it until it flew into our yard. Scamp quickly picked it up and gave it to the small girl dog, who had golden fur with a bushy tail. The catcher came over and almost got his hat back but the girl bit his butt, making me smile and laugh. They kept tossing the hat but soon the leader dog got catch in the net. I didn't know how but he got out and got the catcher stuck in the net instead. The dog took the hat and jumped on top of the car, winking at us, seeing us stare at the group in awe. They started running away from our location, seeing that the catcher was back on his feet. They turned around the corner once again with the car following them. Scamp and I started barking, wanting to go with them. I got my head out of the hole but Scamp had trouble so I grabbed his collar and nearly threw him. We both came back to the fence and start hitting it, seeing if it would open but it was locked. Scamp kept jumping to see over the fence but I knew it was hopeless. We were still chained. "Scamp, give up. We're not getting out of here." "No way. We're getting out of here one way or another." 


	2. Over the Fence

I kept tugging on my chain, trying to get loose while Scamp was singing doing different and weird stunts, trying to get free. Scamp: "Far from here is where we want to be. Somewhere out there, loose and running. Nobody's leash to hold us, nobody's hugs to crush us, nobody's soap and scratchy combs to bathe and brush us! A world without fences! A world where we can run free! And be with real dogs and bring the real dog out in us. No walls and no boundaries. Where we can be free! A world without walls and fences, that's exactly where we want to be! These pups just won't sleep their lives away, on some sofa, like their father. Too many bones to chew up, too many smells to sample, too many fancy flower beds to rip and trample. No rules to control; to stop what we want to be. A world without fences, that's the world for us! No rules, no responsibilities. On our own, completely free! A world without fences for us!" Eventually, Scamp got free and helped me out. We looked behind us and saw the chains, abandoned. We cheered and started digging under the fence. Finally we hit the other side and ran for it, not turning back. We ran down the neighborhood, barking and waking everybody up. We got to town but got lost. I kept looking around for any directions but I ended up just following Scamp. We looked almost everywhere but found nothing. It was getting later and later and the more we were gone and didn't find anything, the more I wanted to go back home. I wanted to go back to dad, tell him sorry I blew up on him; I wanted to go back inside the house, be by the warm fire, listening to Darling read Junior a bedtime story. But we were lost; we didn't know where to go. And dad said if I didn't straighten up then I can find myself a new home…if that's what he wants then he'll get it. We continued our way and stopped in the middle of the road, under a lamp post. When I thought all hope was gone, we heard squeaking and a puppy growling. We looked up and saw a shadow of the girl we saw earlier and followed it. I climbed up a trailer and saw her digging through the garbage. I jumped down and Scamp followed suit. I was about to greet her but Scamp had to be his usual arrogant self, trying to act cool, like he knew what he was doing. He stuffed his face in a garbage can and looked at her with a banana peel on his nose. "Pretty good pickings, huh?" "Oh, I can see you know your way around an alley." "Is it that obvious?" I shake my head and roll my eyes at his patheticness, flirting with her in front of his sister. I jump in before anything is said and I get a glare from my brother. "Hi, my name is Champ. This is my brother, Scamp." The girl turns to face me and gently smiles. "Nice to meet you. My name's Angel. Listen, you guys don't belong on the streets. You won't last five minutes out here." Before we can say anything, we hear a horn and I realize it's already morning by now. Angel runs away, jumping over a fence. I follow her move and got outside the fence. When I wait for Scamp, I see half his body stuck. I roll my eyes as I see Angel running down the street. She was our only way of knowing where to go so I knew we had to follow her, even if my brother had a different reason in mind. "Scamp, come on. She's getting away, we have to follow her!" "Hey, chill out! I'm kinda stuck here if you haven't noticed and I would appreciate it if you would help me out!" "Oh my gosh, you're so hopeless." I grab the front of his collar and tug as hard as I could and we both go tumbling to the ground. We get up and start running. We almost got hit by a car and nearly got squashed by a horse. We stayed behind her but I don't think she knew we were following her. Sometime around mid-day we found her little hideout. It was the county's junkyard. I smiled and ran through the tunnel, my brother following me. I looked around and saw the dogs we saw from earlier. Everyone was doing something different. One dog was jumping on the sofa, two dogs were playing tug-a-war with a hat, and Angel was kicking glass bottles around, breaking them. I kept watching the two dogs who were fighting for the hat, as was everybody else. It was an old dog and the leader dog who we saw. Eventually, the alpha dog won and I overheard them yelling his name, Buster. Buster started running around, declaring that junkyard dogs ran the town. The other group of dogs started howling and soon enough Scamp and I joined in. But once we did, everybody else stopped. When we realized we were the center of attention, we stopped also. Buster quickly ran over to us, telling us what we needed to know. "I'm the top dog around here. Nobody joins the junkyard dogs unless I say so. So, what are your names, sports?' I slightly tremble with fear from Buster but thankfully, my older brother answers for me. "Name's Scamp. This is my sis, Champ." He chuckles a bit, circling us. "Well howdy, Scampero, Champion. So, saw some fun, thought you two would join right in, huh?" "Sure." "Well, I hate to break the news to ya but not many house dogs get to run in this pack." "We're no house dogs!" "Oh, you're not? Then what are these 'badges of respectabilities' doing around your necks?" Buster gestured to our collars, laughing at them. I get offended by this action, making fun of my collar. I get my confidence back and growl slightly at the leader of the pack. Bust looks down at me and smiles. "Well, looks like this house dog is a bit arrogant, huh boys?" I was about to throw an insult but I was cut off by Scamp. "No way! We've had it with the house dog life! Nothing there but rules, rules, rules. We wanna be wild and free…like you guys." Buster turns away from his, having us follow him. "I don't know, kids. Your average house dogs ain't got what it takes." I stand up first and say, "Believe me, I think we got a bit more than what it takes." One of the bigger dogs, who I know as Mooch, starts jumping around, yelling, "Tell 'em what it takes, Buster! Tell 'em what it takes!" One of the old dogs, Sparky, kicked a piano and some music started playing. Buster: "In junkyard society, we're repelled by all propriety. Humility and modesty. Good manners and sobriety. We always gulp our meat, our coats are never neat. Alas we lack all poise, we're full of natural noise. No pets you stroke and pat. You might as well be a cat. In junkyard society." Group: "Society." Buster: "We are the mutual un-elite. An underclass from our head to our feet. Our deeds are spiteful, our mischief pure. We got a natural disorder for which there's no cure. Down to the junkyard, straight to the junkyard, step to the junkyard, society rag." Francois: "Where your nobody's perfumed pets." Sparky: "Where you can wet where you wanna wet." Ruby: "Where you put charity on the shelf." Buster: Then only one that you'll look out for is you, yourself." Group: "Down in the junkyard, check out the junkyard, doin' the junkyard, society rag." Sparky: "No distemper shots from the vet." Ruby: "Show your temper." Sparky: "Mean as you can get." Group: "Down in the yard where we live and let…" Francois: "Chaos and trouble, oh we do it double." Buster: "None of this play-it-safe house dog stuff. Our days are risky, our nights are ruff! The peaceful life leaves us ill at ease. We're crowd and loud in a crowd and very proud of our fleas." Group: "Down at the junkyard, check out the junkyard, step to the junkyard, straight to the junkyard, doin' the junkyard, society rag!" Once they stopped, I realized how much more fun being a junkyard dog can really be. Scamp and I started cheering, having a blast at the mess we had made during their singing. Buster came back over to us, looking pleased. "So, you kids think you got what it takes to be a junkyard dog, huh?" I hear a familiar voice and turn to see Angel. "Oh, they got what it takes, Buster. All I saw what they can do back in that alley." Scamp starts jumping around, wanting to prove it. "Yeah, yeah! Check out this slick move." He jumps on a mattress and ends up getting a spring stuck on his tail, looking embarrassed. I calmly walk over to him and kick it off his tail. Buster walks over to a garbage can, smirking. "As talented as you two may be, it ain't that easy, sports." He grabs the garbage lid and throws it, Angel catching it after it almost hit Sparky in the head but thankfully he ducked. Angel walked over to us, balancing on the lid then jumping off. "Every day out here is like a test of survival." "A test! Beautiful! Baby, I always get my best ideas when you're around, that's why you're my girl!" Buster claims. "I am not your girl! " Buster turns back to us, looking like he has a plan. "Ok, Scampers, Champion. We'll give you two a shot. But you both have to pass the test of courage…in Reggie's Alley." Everyone suddenly gasped. They started saying that it was too dangerous but Buster blocked them out. "Aw, don't listen to them. It's just a little test to see if you can both stay on your own four paws." We all walked out of the junkyard and later ended up as a large fence with the sign saying 'Keep out.' It looked pretty bad and scary but I wasn't gonna show them that I was nervous. "Ok, Scampster, Champion, fetch the can outta the alley." Buster lifted us up and dropped us into the alley, over the fence. To be honest, I was getting annoyed with the stupid nickname this guy came up with. Only dad could give me a nickname and that name was Rascal. We looked around and gasped at what we saw. There was this huge looking animal that didn't even look like a dog. He was sleeping but with the can in his paw. I slightly leaned over and whispered, "Scamp, you get the can while I get something to replace it with." He slowly crept forward as I searcher around. I saw he was close to the animal and I quickly grabbed a random object which turned out to be a piece of wood. Scamp grabbed the edge of the can while I put the piece of wood in its place and breathed a sigh in relief as we saw he didn't wake up. I was gonna keep walking slowly to be cautious but Scamp already started to run, looking backwards and ran into a garbage can, making lot of noise. I cringed, knowing we were in huge trouble. The dog growled slightly before actually waking up. I tried to push Scamp towards the exit but his feet were frozen. We both ran to the fence to find it locked and the dog came charging at us. Before I had time to react, Scamp pushed me out of the way, shoving me towards the exit, telling me to go and that he'll catch up. I didn't want to leave him at all but he was my older brother and if there was one thing I actually listened to what my parents, it was always listen to your older siblings. Sadly, for me, that meant all of them and frankly, I was the smallest and youngest of the bunch and that might be a reason why Scamp is always trying to protect me. I keep running out of that alley, away from that huge dog that Buster called 'Reggie'. I hear crashing and yelling behind me but it grows faint as I ran more. I found myself running down the sidewalk. A car came up next to me and I saw a net above me, holding Angel and Scamp was holding onto the wood part. I jumped up and ended up biting the driver's hand and he let go the same time when Reggie came out on the street. Scamp, Angel, and I went flying into some bags of flour, giving us a soft landing. The dog catcher caught Reggie and dragged him in his car, taking him to the pound. We watch him get farther and farther until Angel said something. "Hey…you guys….saved my life. Nobody else would have dared to do that." I swear I could see Scamp blush but I smiled and said, "Hey, what are friends for?" 


	3. Truth

The group came out of nowhere and started congratulating us, saying we were canine heroes. Buster stomped up to us, upset. "Hey, hey, hey, hey! You two got it all wrong. In the junkyard, it's every dog for himself. I think we're gonna have to put you guys up to another test." He walked up to a gate and tried to open it, undoing the nail but couldn't. He started freaking out, throwing his body against the wood until he eventually called out, "Will someone open this thing!?" Mooch starts jumping around, happy. "Ok, ok!" He runs straight into the fence and it busts into a bunch of pieces. He turns around, looking dizzy. "Is that open enough?" Everyone was going through it and I followed, leaving Angel and Scamp behind for them to talk. I heard a yelp and when I turn around, I saw Scamp tripped and hit his head on the corner of the fence. It tries to play it smooth and runs a head, catching up with me. We walk alongside with each other, thinking about everything that has happened during the last twenty-four hours. "Scamp…what do you think mom and dad are doing?" "Honestly, I don't know. Not worrying about us, that's for sure. But who cares, we're with the junkyard dogs, we're free! We don't have to worry about them anymore!" I sigh, not liking the answer much. Scamp looks over at me and sees I'm upset and gives me a worries glance. "Hey, you ok?" I swallow hard before speaking. "I miss home. It's only been a day and I miss playing with Junior, making fun of the girls, and playing in the mud with our ball. I feel like we gave up one of the best things." "But we didn't. Think about it, Champ. I don't have to listen to anymore rules and you don't have to try to be like Annette, Collette, or even Danielle. We can do whatever we want now!" I turn to face him, angry. "Scamp, don't you get it!? Is that the only thing you want?! You only want to do whatever you want? Don't you want a home or a family?" "Hey, I'm just trying to cheer you up! If you want to go back, that's fine with me! Go back to being that stupid house dog and suffer but I'm staying here." He runs up a head with the others, leaving me behind. I stop in my tracks and put my head down, sitting there for a while. I felt someone sit next to me and I heard Angel's voice. "Champ…I know something that might make you feel better but you have to promise not to tell anyone, not even Scamp, ok?" "Is it bad?" She smiles, laughing a little. "No, at least not with us but it will be if the others hear this. I've always wanted a home and a family. The junkyard dogs, they're not family, they're just a group of dogs you get to follow around. I want a place where I feel like I belong, where I know where there's people who care for me there. If you don't mind me asking, what was your home like?" I smile, thinking about everything. "Well I'm giving you a heads up, Scamp only thinks about the bad stuff, never the good stuff about home. There was this little boy, Junior and he would always play ball with us, almost every second of everyday. It seemed like he favored Scamp and me more than my three older sisters. My dad and I, we would get along real good, sometimes argue but that was it, nothing big. Mom and I weren't that close but still, she took care of me. Our owners, Jim Dear and Darling…man, they would always try to keep us happy but keep us in line, so we didn't break anything but no matter what they did, Scamp and I would still break stuff." We both laugh, her imagining these things while I remember them. "That sounds like a really nice place to live in. Why did you leave?" "To be honest, I don't know. My dad and I got into a really bad fight, and not an argument, I mean like a real fight. I just feel like he wants me to be like my sisters who are all very proper and clean. But I'm not like that. During our fight, the main reason why I left was because he said something along the lines, 'Find yourself another home.' I felt like he didn't want me there anymore so I left with Scamp. We've always been close, Scamp and I. We've always been there for each other even through the toughest times but now…" "I understand. It seems like the whole 'being a junkyard dog' is getting to his head." "You got that right." We stay there for a few minutes longer until we get up and find the others. They were all by a small little stream, all of them gathered around Sparky who was starting to tell a story, everyone except Buster. "In my day, there was only one stray by which all dogs was measured." Everyone from the group said at the same time, "The Tramp." My ears perked right up when I heard that name. Now I was really paying attention to the story. Before it started though, Mooch was giving Scamp and I some information. "He taught Buster everything there is to know about being on the streets, ok?" "Buster's trouble was Tramp's trouble. And Tramp's trouble was Buster's trouble." Ruby joined in. I had so many questions in my head at that moment, thinking about dad. My thoughts were gone when the story began. "It was the dog catchers. At least a dozen…two dozen. Now that I think about it, the police and the army cavalry were after the boy as well. He was trapped. But if the tramp was gonna go, he was gonna go in style." Scamp ran up to Sparky to ask, "So what happened next?" "We never saw him again after that. They say when the wind blows; you can still hear the Tramp howl." At that moment, the leaves were blowing around me, the wind ruffling my fur. My amazement was cut off by Buster, running over to us, putting his paw on my shoulder and Scamp's shoulder. "All right, all right! That is not what happened! He met this girl, see? Queen of the kennel club set. Even her prissy little name leave a bad taste in my mouth." He leans down and whispers in our ears, "Lady." My eyes grow wide and I swallow hard. I see my brother do the same and before anything else could be said, Angel came up. "But he met his true love." "He betrayed me! You can't have a family and still be a junkyard dog. So I gave Tramp a choice. It's either me or her. And he picked life on the end of a chain. Hooked up with a real powder puff. Sleeping on carpets. Free room and board! Living the cushy pillow life! And that's when I learned the first rule about being a junkyard dog: Buster's trouble is Buster's trouble." I suddenly got an itch behind my ear. I scratched my head, letting my tongue hang out, and then shook my head. I saw Scamp do the same thing as me at the same time. Next thing I hear is Buster's voice again, making me panic. "Hey! Hey, hey, hey! The Tramp used to scratch like that. You ain't related, are ya?" He bends down to sniff us and I was too scared to answer so thankfully my big brother came to the rescue. "Who, us? No way!" "Good. 'Cause if you were, you'd be kibble." To make his point, the alpha dog takes a stick and breaks it in half in his mouth. Later that night, Scamp and I wandered off. We didn't say anything to each other about earlier today but I think we were both forgiven. We were playing around the train tracks, thinking about dad. I stay quiet when Scamp speaks up for the first time in hours. "No way, dad. That can't be true. You gave it all up? I mean, what could be better than this?" "You ok, guys?" A voice came out from behind us. I jump from fright and let out a yelp but relax when I only see Angel. "Who, us? Yeah, yeah, sure." Scamp answers for us both. I haven't said a word since my talk with Angel earlier today. "What are you doing out here, Scamp? Don't you have a nice family back home?" I slightly smile, knowing she was trying to get him to come back home. "What difference does it make? All families are alike. They make you take baths, sleep in a bed, you have to eat everything in your bowl, and when it rains, you have to come in doors! Let's just say, you're lucky you've never had to live with a family." "Wrong again, Tenderfoot." "You've had a family?" "Actually, I've had five families." She starts walking off down the tracks and we follow her. "I always thought one was too many." "I could never get one to stick. Someone would take me in and just when I think 'Wow, this is my family,' they move or have a new baby or have an allergy. Same old story, I'm out on the street." "Wait a minute; you really want a family, don't you? But you've got Buster." "Buster! You can't tell him! You can't! He'll kick me out." "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me. I promise." "Thanks." She says softly and we begin walking again. "So, you're Buster's girl, huh?" "I am not Buster's girl! I don't belong to anybody. The junkyard dogs aren't much of a family but what choice do I have?" "What more do you need? As a junkyard dog, you can stay up late, or dig, or…" "Run." Angel cuts him off but he keeps going. "Yeah or play, or run, or…" "Run!" Angel shouts this time and I see why. "Right or chase squirrels…" This time I say something for the first time in hours. "No, she means run now, Scamp!" We all start running down the train tracks, trying not to get hit by the oncoming train, except we were on a bridge. Angel made it to the other end, safe and I was almost there when I heard Scamp calling for us. I turn around to find his paw stuck. We both run over to him and try to get him out. I saw the train getting closer and closer. When I thought it couldn't get closer, I thought we were done for but Angel pushed us down a hole and we all went down into the river below. 


	4. Seen

My head came above the water, my body was fighting to get to shore and finally it did. I lay down on the nice, comfy grass for a few moments before I thought I heard Angel calling out for us somewhere. I was about to answer when I heard an all too familiar howl on the other side of the river. I get up and hide behind tall grass and see Uncle Trusty, Uncle Jock, mom, and dad all run up to one of the tall rocks. I hear mom call out, "Oh, look!" I look where she was gesturing and it was something grey that looked like Scamp and/or me. I watch the scene unfold and saw dad jump right in the water, the second he saw the object, thinking it was one of us. Dad swam back to shore and dragged the object with him. Mom was calling our names, mine and Scamp's. Dad put the object down and it appeared to be just a wig. Everyone looked relived yet heartbroken. I could just hear Uncle Jock saying to Uncle Trusty, "A wig? Arrggk, you smelled a wig, man?! You're hopeless." "Oh, I'm sorry, Miss. Lady." "Come on! We got to keep searching." My two uncles and mom started walking away from the river except my dad. He stood at the edge of the water for a moment, looking down. It nearly made my heart break, seeing him so upset. He shakes his head and I could just barely hear his voice whisper, "I shouldn't have been so hard on them." Dad puts his head down and slowly walks away. I stare at his retreating form and want so badly to call out to him. I get broken out of my thoughts when I hear Scamp calling out my name. I run to his voice and find him. "Scamp?" "Champ! You had me so worried! Are you ok!?" He runs over to me and rubs his side against mine, giving me a nudge. "I'm fine. Just really wet." We both smile a bit and I see by both their faces that they were flirting earlier. I turn around and start walking to a direction I haven't been in for quite some time. I hear my brother call for me, catching up to my side. "Champ, where are you going?" "I need to go do something. Just me. Besides, this will give you and Angel some time together." "Are you sure you don't need me to come with you? I don't mind, neither will Angel." "Scamp, I'll be fine. Please, go out and enjoy your night. It's just something I have to do." "Thanks, sis." We part our ways and I walk through the park, down the sidewalk, and end up sitting under a lamp post, in front of a house. I find myself at my house, seeing the gate open along with the door. I saw the lights on; Darling was trying to make Junior stop crying. I wanted to run in and see him, to make him smile and laugh again. I had so many thoughts running through my head. Was everyone really searching for us? Did they really care that much? Did dad mean what he said at the lake? Was I ever going to come back home without Scamp hating me? I was so lost in my thought I didn't hear anyone come up next to me. "Champ?" I yelp, jumping away from the voice that scared me. I breathed a sigh in relief when I only saw Scamp and Angel. "Is this what you had to do? Come see the house?" I only nod my head, not wanting to talk. I couldn't help but let out a small whine and Scamp grabs my collar and pulls me close to him. We hug, letting each other know that somehow everything will end up ok. We immediately break apart when we hear Jim Dear's voice. "Come on, Tramp. Come on, boy. We've done all we can for one day." We both hide in the bushes and Scamp quickly pulls Angel in with us. Jim Dear walks into the house but dad and mom stop in front of us. I heard dad sniffing around, he got closer and closer to the bush. Closer to us. Scamp backed away farther and out of nowhere, a bird goes flying above our heads, scaring our parents. Mom looks up at dad and comforts, "Oh, we'll find them. You were the best street dog there ever was. And I still have faith in the old Tramp." Dad scoff at this bit of news, looking depressed. "Old Tramp? If only the old Tramp was still here…" They got distracted by hearing a whistle from Jim Dear. "Come on, Tramp. We'll find Scamp and Champ tomorrow." Mom and dad walk away and Angel quickly turns to us. "The Tramp is your father!?" She runs out of the bush, following my parents although they were already inside the house. The three of us all looked in the window and saw the whole family in a small group around the fire. I could hear Darling through the window. "Did you find them?" "No. But maybe tomorrow." I heard Junior crying until Jim Dear gave him a family photo. I could barely see it but it was when we were born, that Christmas. All us dogs were in that photo with a baby boy that turned out to be the boy we always play with. Junior wasn't the best at words but he knew the simple things. "That's Champ and Scamp." He turns to Darling and hugs the picture to his chest, like that was his life. Darling started humming a song to him so he would go to sleep and I even heard all my sisters whine. I could only stare at my heartbroken family while Scamp was confused. "Gosh, I didn't think they'd miss us that much." Angel quickly turns to him and snaps, "You didn't think they'd miss you?! I can't believe you would run away from a home like this, Scamp!" "Well, what about Champ!? I don't see you lecturing her about running away too." "That's because she didn't have a choice! Either way, she loses part of her family. Out of everyone, you seem to be the most important since I don't see her in there, with your family, sad that you left. Instead she left with you even though it's tearing her apart!" They kept arguing for a while but the whole time, I just stared at my family. After a few minutes they calmed down and were getting ready to leave. "Hey, Champ. You coming with us? It's ok if you want to stay…" "No, I'm gonna catch up with you guys later. I just wanna stay here a bit longer if that's ok." "Alright, just don't get caught, got it?" "Yup." Once they leave I get left alone in my thoughts once more. I realized that dad wasn't serious about me finding a new home, he was just upset. I know I was too and I would never switch a different family for this one. This was my home. I had loving parents, sisters, a brother, and owners that took good care of me. Again, I let out a small whine, knowing they are hurting and I was feeling a similar pain. I saw dad's ears perk up and he looks out the window. I freeze and we both make eye contact. We stare at each other for what feels like years until one of us makes a move. I saw him getting ready to come outside where I was, so I quickly jumped off the porch and hid in the bushes. Just seconds later, he comes barreling out the doggy door, looking around. I stay silent as I watch him trying to listen and sniff the air for my scent. He sighs once more tonight, putting his head down. He looks back up and speaks. "Champ? I know you're out there. You don't have to say anything or come out but please, just listen. I'm sorry for what I said. This is your home, I hope when you come back, you never leave again and you realize this will always be your home." He kept his head held high and he kept looking around for my hiding place. It was like he knew exactly where I was the whole time because at the end; he looked directly at me, both of us making eye contact again. "The door is always open, Rascal." It seems like we stare at each other a bit longer before he walks back inside. I want to run after him, telling him 'I'm right here!' But I don't. I want to walk in the doggy door and lay in my bed, next to my sisters and parents. But I don't. I want to go and get Scamp; both of us can go tumbling through the door. But I don't. Everything I want to do, I don't do and instead, I walk away slowly, following the trail back to the junkyard. The next morning everyone goes to the park where the party is supposed to be at for the 4th of July. There was a parade going down the road while in the park, there were many families having picnics. Angel, Scamp, and I were on a small hill when I got an itch. I scratched behind my ear, letting my tongue hang out before shaking my head. Scamp did the exact thing right after me. It hit me right then, Scamp and I would always scratch right after dad and we all did it the same way. I was about to say something to my brother but was cut off by Buster. "Scampo, Champion, front and center." We both run over to him, Scamp looking like he was excited. "Take a look out there. See that family?" I look over the bushes and saw our family in front of us. I stopped breathing for a minute, staring at how close I was to them, just like last night. Scamp lets out a nervous chuckle, gesturing to the opposite side of the park. "You mean that family, over there?" "No! This family! Right here! Now as your final test, I want you two to infiltrate their picnic and liberate their chicken, right out from under the nose from that meek, little house dog." Angel came up next to us and saw. "You guys don't have to prove anything. Just walk away." "Since when do you care so much?" Buster interjects. "I thought you were better than this, guys." "Pipe down, Angel-cakes! You pups want to be wild and free…don't you? All it's gonna cost you is some juicy chicken. Yeah…I should have know, once a house dog, always a house dog." Scamp gets up and yells before running. "We're no house dogs!" I stay put for a moment before following him. We were both behind a big rock. Scamp turns to me before saying, "Champ, you don't have to do this. You can go back home if you want." "I want to but right now, I'll be by your side. I'll go home when I think you can handle yourself out here." He looks almost pleased with that answer. We get ready to run and silently, we agree that I would get one side of the chicken while he gets the other since it was so big. We run into the open and we both bark, happily. I hear everyone yelling our names. I see dad quickly turn around, looking more than happy. We grab the chicken and we start to run again but we were stopped by dad. He was crouched down; giving us that warning look he's given us so many times before. Scamp and I slowly move away from him and then running for our lives. I looked behind me and saw dad was following us. This almost made me run faster and slower at the same time. We run over a hill and back down to quickly hide in the bushes. Being so small can pay off sometimes. We watch dad make his way over the hill and keep running, thinking he was still chasing us. This time, I led the way and we ended up in a small alley. We were both breathing heavy and put the chicken down. I sat down and so did Scamp. "Phew. Slick move, sis. Lost him." "Don't bet on it." A voice came out from behind us. I look and find dad standing in the entrance of the alley. Scamp and I let out a yelp and he turned to the fence. I walked backwards away from the two, leaning against a box, watching. Scamp kept trying to push the gate open but it was locked. Dad calmly made his way towards us, looking a little nervous and still sad. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey, slow down there, Whirlwind." "I'm not going home! You can't make me!" Scamp retorts. "I know, I know. Easy. I just want to talk. So, um, how you two doing out here?" I smile at his gentleness as I stay against the box while Scamp gets excited to talk about it, jumping on the box next to me. "It's great, dad! The junkyard dogs have taught us all the tricks. Go wherever we want, do whatever we please. No chains, no fences—" "No regard of someone else's lunch." Dad pointed out; looking toward the chicken we stole. I put my head down in shame, not knowing what to say. "That's how it is out here on the streets. But then, you know all about that, don't you? You make the rules, dad but you never had to follow them when you were our age. Is that why you didn't tell us that you were a street dog?" Scamp jumped down, getting to the point. 


	5. Choices

t want that life for you guys. I found something better. I found love.s response.

t that beautiful? I think I** We hear Buster**I see you haven** Dad comments towards the leader. **

** s a dog, a dog.**He says you walked out on I met your mother, I guess, Buster just got ditched me!I fell in love!You made your choice! Now it** Buster leans down to us and acts like everything was fine. **

** t know what here coming home.**See that? Daddy

** t belong out here.**And hes your don** Dad puts himself in between Scamp and Buster as I stay by the box. s best for them!s side. s best for you! Well, Im a junkyard dog!**That

** Dad sighs, putting his head down. s somethingve had enough, our door **

** I stay quiet but I looked up when I hear Buster**Now, how about you, Champion? You comin with us or are you gonna go back to being a little house dog?t say a word except move to the side of my father. I heard all junkyard dogs gasp and I saw ScampIt looks like you can handle yourself out here. I don

** Buster looks enraged as he pretends to laugh. till the end. You can **

** Dad and I turn to leave, towards the locked fence. Dad nudges the nail with his nose, making it pop out of place and opening the gate. The same kind of nail that Buster couldnHa**Champ

** m sorry. I shouldnt want to end up like the others, I felt like you wanted to change me.**Champ, you dont have told you to find a new home. And even though what you did may have brought a lot of pain and worry, I think you did the right thing, following your brother. I

** I smile, hearing what Is all I ever wanted. I looked up and saw it was getting darker. I thought about Scamp and looked back at dad who had an understanding look. He leaned down and gave me a small nudge. t get yourself into trouble.**No seen it before. It hit me the moment someone grabbed a hold of my neck, picking me up.

The dog catcher brought me to the back, yelling,

** He threw me in the back, locking the door behind me. I lie down; mad at myself for getting caught when I was supposed to chase after Scamp. I knew that soon, we would arrive at the pound and then Jim Dear and Darling would come and get me because I was still wearing my collar. **

** We were halfway there when the car stopped. I didnt have a collar. **

** s nothing but trouble. I wish we were home.t here, I could still hear dad, mom, and Angel**Always there to warm you in the winter. Always there with shelter from the rain. Always there to catch you when you

**Angel: **

**Scamp: **

**Angel & Scamp: **

**Dad: **

**Mom: **

**Mom & Dad: **

**Scamp: **

**Angel: **

**Dad: **

**Scamp: **

**Angel: **

**Dad: **

**Angel: **

**Scamp: **

**Angel: **

**All: **

** Before I knew it, we had arrived at the pound. The catcher grabbed me in one hand and Scamp in the other. We were both trying to get loose from his grip as we went inside the pound but it didn**Hey, pups. Looks like you two were put in the wrong on, guys!Keep your paws off my kids!Hey! Paws off our dad!t put pressure on it. Dad picked me up and set me down on my feet as I favored my right paw.

Scamp comes over to me and playfully tackled me. Before I could jump on him, dad picked him up too and set him away from me. s hurt, be gentle. Come on, we have to go ha!Come on, you three.s attention.

** Dad put me back on my feet and I leaned on Angel for support. **It have run , maybe I was also being a little too tough on you. I don

** Scamp says, excitedly. **

** Dad informs. **

** I hear Uncle Trusty**Ive found them!Arrggk! Youve found six cats, three gophers, two rabbits

** Scamp and I say at the same time. **

** He continues on his rant for a second before realizing. ****arrggk, pups?!**Why, it is the pups!Aye. I

** Dad walks over to us with Angel. **

** I nod my head and smile but Scamp gets this devious look on his face. s one more thing I**


	6. Home

We followed Scamp all the way back to the junkyard. We went through the tunnel and we were greeted by Buster. s Scamp! You escaped the pound!Yeah, no thanks to , come on. You know our can keep your not this. I

** My brother jumped on a long piece of wood and launched a shoe at the leader of the junkyard dogs. It looked like he didn**Hey, you missed Scamp-a-loser!That

** Scamp came over to us and walked out the tunnel, us following him. s go home, guys.**You really hurt yourself, didn

** I whisper the last part, not wanting to sound pathetic. **

** He smiles down at me and leans down. He rubs his head against mine affectionately. t worry, well be good as new in no time.**Scamp, I love you!m swarmed by my sisters, all of them giving me a hug. Scamp is picked up by Jim Dear and Darling picks me up in her arms. She gives me a hug but her arms squish my paw, making me let out one of the loudest yelps and whines. She pulls away quickly but still has me in her arms.

She gives me to her husband, carefully. s hurt.s alright, girl. Itre gonna be fine.t gonna hurt her. She makes her way to them, slowly and cautiously.

He starts petting her and she lets out a happy bark. Junior gives Angel a big hug, smiling and laughing. I missed hearing his laughter. It was like music to my ears, making me smile. Darling picked Junior up, looking at the blonde dog who we brought home.

** Junior starts calling, **

** t suppose we could **

** He looks around at all of us, everyone whining, wanting Angel to join us. t! Oh, what **

** Next thing I know, my leg is wrapped up, Scamp was getting a bath, and Angel was playing with her new sisters. I wasnm still healing but I wanted to play. I was upstairs and everyone was downstairs. I peeked over the corner to make sure nobody was coming and when I thought I was in the clear zone, I ran in the hallway. **

** I was looking behind me when I ran into something hard. It knocked me off my feet and when I looked up, I saw dad. I cowered slightly, knowing I would get a lecture. **

** You be careful or you He walked out and at that moment, Scamp came running in through a different door. **

** t you worried dad will catch you?**No, he

** d you manage that one? Played daddy **

** t know what to do **

** Scamp yells. **

** He gets out blue ball and brings it in the room. He goes to one side of the room while I go to the other side. Our game started as playful, rolling the ball from side to side but then we started tackling each other for the ball. I had the ball in my mouth, bent down, wagging my tail, teasing my older brother. **

** He growled and charged my way, tackling me to the floor. I jumped on him, both of us being careful of my leg. Angel walks in as we were rolling around on the ground and she barked, happily. She joined us, the three of us chasing and tackling each other. Soon enough, my other sisters, Danielle, Collette, and Annette come running in, wanting to know what the commotion is about. **

** The three of us stop and stare at them for a moment before they growl playfully and jump on us. Danielle tackled Scamp, Annette jumped on Angel, and Collette took me down. All six of us were playing and laughing, never wanting the fun to stop.**


End file.
